Putting youth on the main stage: Watermill Theatre's Youth Ensemble

When it comes to engaging with their communities, many regional theatres make some effort to ensure that the work they do with young people is part of their agenda. After all, the theory goes, if these people become familiar with theatre at a young age, they stand a chance of catching the theatrical bug and falling in love with performing, working backstage and potentially forging a career in the business itself. Different theatres create work with and for young people and with varying degrees of success but, at the Watermill Theatre, it sounds like something really special is happening.

Nestled in leafy Berkshire, just outside Newbury, the Watermill is a small theatre with an impressive reputation. Alongside its regular programming – think Othello, jazzy festive productions and a cosy adjoining restaurant for pre-show meals – its Watermill Youth Ensemble has reignited its creative manifesto and is creating a whole host of opportunities for young people. A recent production, The Girl of Ink and Stars, an adaptation of Kiran Millwood Hargrave's acclaimed novel, played to sold out audiences on the theatre's main stage.